


Paroxysm

by Oh_DAMNeron



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, LGBTQ Character, M/M, Minor Character Death, Watchverse, negatives
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-17
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-01-18 15:06:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12390561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oh_DAMNeron/pseuds/Oh_DAMNeron
Summary: Noun: a sudden attack or outburst of a particular emotion or activity._Arlie MacEwen is just like most people. Struggling with his Negative, but making do. After a violent Takeover and the stabbing of one of his close friends, he's become unstable and hidden away in his apartment, in which the memories of the attempted homicide still loom. Feeling his Negative growing stronger and fighting a more destructive Takeover, he struggles to find a way out.-Based on the concept in Monachopsis, by QWERTYyouandme. (Thanks again!)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Monachopsis](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11700054) by [QWERTYouAndMe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/QWERTYouAndMe/pseuds/QWERTYouAndMe). 



Arlie scrubbed savagely at his hands; though they were physically clean, he would always know what he had done. It was the third time he'd washed them today. He turned off the tap and rubbed his hands raw with a scratchy rag. Feeling the usual tightening of his chest, he closed his eyes and breathed steadily. Not thinking about it was the trick. Looking up at himself in the mirror, he dragged a gentle finger over a cut on his cheekbone. Had that been there yesterday? Intaking a shaky breath, Arlie MacEwen left his bathroom to face the disaster that was his bedroom. Diverting his eyes from the side wall he walked straight to his bed and collapsed face first into it. Trying to steady his breathing while beckoning a good dreamless sleep to overtake him.

Dark red blood oozed from the ceiling of his side wall. Sounds around him were distorted and he felt as though he was underwater. A red tint consumed the surrounding air. Fast thumping of his heartbeat was growing steadily louder in his ears. Was it even his heartbeat? He was eerily calm. His gaze dropped to the floor. A blood-drenched body squirmed, her hand clutching a knife impaled into her stomach. Unable to control his body, he felt himself smile. Not just any smile, a psychotic smile of joy at the sight before him. He enjoyed the pain; the death. But It wasn't him.

Waking in a cold sweat, Arlie looked over at the clock – which read 1:58 am – then his gaze drifted to his side wall. Eyes traced the blood stains that he'd desperately tried to clean but to no avail. It wasn't a dream; it was a memory. Knowing he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep until later, he stood and walked back into the bathroom. He took a cold shower and then wandered into the kitchen for a cold drink.

Passed out on the lounge, Arlie had left the television playing softly. The early morning news was on. A segment that had aired almost continuously over the past week was replaying while he slept.

"With the recent widespread surge of Takeovers, we are advising everyone to please stay safe. If a friend or family member is showing any of the WATCH signs, take them to a containment unit. It's for their own health. The watch signs include," the usual list of signs appeared on the screen. "Warmth; are they unusually hot to the touch?  
Appearance; has their appearance changed slightly?  
Twitch; have they developed a twitch in some part of their body?  
Communication; do they have an accent they didn't have before? Saying different words?  
Heart; have they had a sudden change of heart? Liking things they previously despised?" The screen changed to show a girl being dragged literally kicking and screaming into a containment unit. There hadn't been enough time to restrain her, now she was a danger to herself. Another piece of footage showed. Round windows lined the doors of the containment units, the camera panned past them. In one window there was a silhouette. A light was shone on the window and it revealed a man with bloodshot eyes laughing manically. In his mouth, there were teeth that resembled fangs. As stated in "Your Negative and You: Thirtieth Edition (© "WATCHout: Information and Help for Young People and Their Negatives Since 1969" 2017), It was a common thing for the body to change in some sorts of ways – although the changes didn't include growing extra body parts, just alterations, including; body mass, tattoos, skin tone, or features on the body like freckles or moles.

Morning birds were Arlie's alarm these days. Not being a heavy sleeper didn't help him at all. So, he rose with the birds. Moving around his apartment, he completed simple tasks so his mind wouldn't wander back to the side wall. Distracting himself was the only thing that helped him these days. For weeks on end – since the accident – he'd been hoping the looming feeling of a Takeover would subside and he'd be fine for a few more months. His negative talking in his head was driving him insane. He'd planned for the worst. There were the Negative Control Centres that were scattered all over the globe. There was no way he'd manage to survive being in one of those places. So he found another alternative. Around the world, there were a few groups of people who rejected the idea of Negative Control Centres and lived together somewhere hidden away. Arlie had contacted one of them and told them to have a room ready for him in case something happened. Of course, they agreed to be ready. Preparation was the key to surviving Takeovers.  


Having seen the news countless times, he knew about the breakout of Takeovers, he didn't want to be out of the apartment for too long. Desperation to restock food supplies drove him from his home. Glancing out the window he saw the rain bucketing down onto the pavement a few stories below. Jogging to his bedroom he grabbed a change of clothes, a long-sleeved blue and grey top and black skinny jeans. Absently staring at the thin bracelet on his wrist he recalled who gave it to him and what he's done to her. That thought caused his mind to wander back to the side wall. Bloodstains haunted the milliseconds spent in the dark during a blink. Shakily, he turned to look at the blood-splattered wall. Carding his fingers through his mattered hair, he looked away after a moment, mentally adding blue paint to his shopping list. Pulling on a black hoodie, he snagged the keys, umbrella and wallet as he left.

Walking through the streets, ducking in and out of shops, he managed to get his mind off of the wall in his room. Once he got moving it was easy to forget. Sometimes it was hard to get moving... He ran a hand along the shelf in a maintenance store. Searching for the right shade of blue paint. Finally, he found a tin labelled 'pigeon blue'. Quickly, he found a large paintbrush and went up to the counter to pay for it.

"Redecorating, honey?" a nice lady behind the counter smiled at him while she scanned the barcodes and rung up the prices.  
"Something like that... Help put my mind at ease." Arlie allowed himself a small smile, telling himself it was just for kindness.  
Handing him a plastic bag with his items she waved him off, "Well if you need any help just drop on in and we'll be there. Have a good day, son."  
"Will do, and you too." He nodded to her as he left, having absolutely no intention to seek out help.

Making his way back towards his apartment complex, he was glad the rain had let up a bit. He dropped the umbrella down, allowing the light rain to wet his hair. Raising his face to the sky, he stopped in his tracks and just enjoyed the rain. The public continued to move around him. Sticking out his tongue he smiled genuinely as he caught raindrops. This earned him a few odd looks. He didn't care. For once in his life, he didn't care. He just enjoyed the rain. 

That was until a hand dropped onto his shoulder. He swung around quickly, taking a few steps away. His glare was met with a tanned skinned girl smirking at him. Not just any girl, one of his few friends. Mara hadn't had much to do with Arlie, but if he called, she was there to help.

"You were in one hell of a daze there, bud." She placed her hands on her hips, twitching slightly. 

Eyeing her hands cautiously, he put up the umbrella. "Yeah, first time I've been out in a while..." He would've scratched the back of his neck if both his hands weren't full. 

She smiled a smile that didn't suit her. More of an evil grin. Something was up. "Let me give you a hand taking those home." Mara reached for the bags and her hand grazed his. Her hand was abnormally hot. Only now did he notice she was wearing a tank top despite the cold temperature.

Becoming wary of the situation he was about to enter, he politely declined the offer.

"Hey, I just want to help, man!" Her gaze became very serious, a glare of determination. "I just want to help." 

Swallowing a lump in his throat he nodded. He handed her the umbrella, knowing full well he wouldn't get it back. He had another.

They climbed the stairs instead of taking the elevator. He just wanted to tire her out. Having done this multiple times, he had built the stamina. When they came to the third floor -- his floor -- he looked over his shoulder. She was further down, he could run for it...

Breaking into a sprint when the door to the stairwell closed behind him, he got to his door at the end of the hall just as she appeared from the door. Mara stopped for a moment as Arlie struggled with the lock. Once what was happening registered she jolted into a full sprint towards him, staggering along the way. He managed to open the door just in time before slamming it shut in her face and locking it swiftly. 

Shaking and breathing hard he looked through the door's peephole. The girl he saw was not Mara. Her iris' were a bright red and her skin had dropped a shade or two. She stood and stared directly at him, sweat beading on her forehead. Obviously feeling joy, her mouth curled up in a cruel grin. 

"I'm sorry, Mara..." He whispered through the crack of the door. Mara broke into a psychotic guffaw. Arlie moved to his house phone, dialling the Containment Unit number.  
"Negative Containment Unit, how can we help?" An automated voice answered. By now Arlie knew the drill and hit the number '1'. This told the system that he had a negative nearby and it sent them his location. 

Mara's laughter didn't stop. He leant his head against the wall. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." He whispered shakily, knowing that Mara couldn't hear him.


	2. Chapter 2

He didn't need to look to know Mara was gone. Her laughing had stopped, along with the new pounding on his door. Knowing that the Negative Containment Unit wouldn't check on him -- they never did -- he moved to the door where he'd ditched his purchases. Picking up the bag he pulled out the paint. Distracting himself from what just had gone down was probably bad for his health, but he decided on that option anyway. Deciding to just go for it he moved to the bedroom. He brought a bowl of water with him to clean the brush.  
Painting the wall was a soothing and fulfilling experience. To see the bloodstains be overruled by the paint was like a new hope conquering the regret and bad memories. He liked it. Dipping the paint brush back into the pigeon blue paint, he drew the brush over the stains in a constant side to side fashion. What one would do when filling in the background of a canvas.  
Once done he stood back and admired his work. Only the first coat. He'd have to come back and complete the task later but the important thing was that it was good for now.  
Arlie moved away from his wall, then it hit him that that's the longest he's been near it in over a month. It seems crazy to him that, once unimportant places or things can manage to hold so many emotions within just because of something that happened once. Something that he remembers only in glimpses.

\---

Only three hours passed before he got a text from Mara. It was a photo of her with her containment unit ticket, identical to that someone would receive when released from a unit. She was pulling a mock sad face and Arlie couldn't help but laugh. A message below the photo said "Call me when you get the chance. I'm sorry, Arl." He smiled at his nickname.

Going to his contacts in his phone, he hit her number and placed the phone to huis ear. He listened to the soothing ringing for a moment before he remembered why he was calling. What had happened seemed so long ago.

"Hey! Arlie, I am so sorry, please forgive me, I mean it's okay if you don't want to, but please!" Mara's voice came through as a rushed pleading.

"It's okay, it happens to everyone. And I picked up that it wasn't you almost instantly, top that." Arlie bragged. They liked to see how long it took them to notice when people's negatives were in control of their minds. Arlie had gotten pretty good at it.

"I'm just glad I didn't ruin our friendship, with going to attempt to kill you and all..." Although not face-to-face, Arlie just knew that she was scratching the back of her neck.

"So that's what you were doing, I wouldn't have guessed." Successfully pouring sarcasm into his words, he heard Mara groan.

There was a sigh on the other side of the line, followed by a clearing of her throat and Arlie knew the conversation was about to get serious.

"Arl, you haven't had a Takeover in a while. And after... what happened," he knew she was referring to the newly painted wall. "I think you should check yourself in somewhere and let it pass... you got bad man, really bad. It would only be for about a week or so. It's not even that bad of a-"

"No." It took everything in him to not hang up the phone right then and there. "I've had bad experiences in one of those places and I'm not going back."

He heard her sigh and there was an awkward silence between them. "At least lock yourself up." Mara's voice was low.

"Yeah, like always..." Arlie grumbled, recalling the nights he spent locked in his bathroom; there were still claw marks on the door.

"Yeah... well. We gotta catch up after, don't want a take two of today. See ya 'round Arlie." She cut the conversation off, knowing it was going nowhere.

"Yeah see you, Mara." Arlie was the one to hang up.  
Running a hand through his messy hair, he put his phone down on his lounge and unmuted his television.

\---

Clawing at his skull, he screamed as he felt his negative taking over. It had been two days after his conversation with Mara. He had ended up in the situation he dreaded; locked in his bathroom, fighting a Takeover. Heaving breaths through gritted teeth he stayed curled up in his bathtub, unwilling to move. The taunting grew louder and louder until he could make it out clearly as a voice and not just a coherent, shrill noise.  
"It's not worth fighting. I'll take over, I'll hurt everyone, and you know it..." the voice, he wished wasn't so familiar, rung in his head.  
Arlie continued to claw at his head. Pain was a distraction, he told himself over and over again, as the pain moved to agony.  
Pulling his hands from his head he looked at them. Blood coated the fingertips. His blood. He'd clawed through layers of his own skin. His Negative was right, they'd end up taking over. Arlie couldn't help but think back to what happened last time he had a Takeover. He stabbed his friend. Tucking his bloody hands against his chest, he rocked back and forth for hours and hours and hours...

\---

Arlie had managed to avoid a Takeover. His Negative must have know they'd already done enough damage to his mental state. Either that or they had grown too weak to continue the assault of his mind. Weakened from the struggle to keep control, he passed out on the cool tiles of his bathroom floor.

\---

It was the pain that awoke Arlie. Every fibre of his head rung and ached. Gingerly touching his torn scalp, he groaned as he realised how much damage he'd done to himself. Cursing his Negative, he knew he'd be in pain for a while. He ran and hand over his face and then carefully through his hair.  
Arlie stood and stumbled, catching himself on the sink and righting himself. He placed a hand to his head and unlocked the bathroom door. Staggering out of the room he made his way over to his phone. He needed to get away from everyone. He would hurt someone. He needed to get away.  
He called the number he'd saved. For emergencies. For this exact reason.  
It took four rings for them to pick up. It was a man who answered.  
"Hey, It's Arlie MacEwen, I called a couple weeks back. Do you still have that room?" 

"Ah, yeah I remember. We've still got the room all set up, if you want to head out here, we can send a few guys to come get you." Arlie heard clicking on a keyboard over the other end of the line.

“Yeah, that would probably be for the best... I’ll get some stuff together.” Arlie made for his room before the man started talking again.

“I’m just going to put this bluntly. How unstable are you and how bad do you get when under the influence...” he’d never heard someone explain a Takeover like that.

“It’s been almost a month since my last Takeover and I stabbed a friend.” His head throbbed as he ran a hand through his hair. That action had started to become a sort of nervous tick. 

“Alright that’s all we need, precautions will be put in place and you can use them at your own will. My guys should arrive within the next hour or two so just be alert.” His voice became suddenly cheerful. Arlie didn’t like it. 

“Thanks again, I’ll get packing.” And with a quiet goodbye, they hung up. 

Arlie spent the next hour packing, unsure of what to bring. At around midday, a knock sounded on his door and he opened it, pulling his packed duffle over his shoulder. 

“Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I set a deadline almost exactly a week ago, and missed it by a week. I’m so sorry. But this has gotten quite a few hits since it went up! Thank you! And a special thanks to QWERTYyouandme and DoubleX for the amazing support and reviews! I’ll try and get better with updating!


	3. Chapter 3

The drive was uneventful, but Arlie made sure to note which way they were travelling just in case something happened and he had to get home. They arrived at a hamlet with a few people milling around outside. A child hung off of their mother as she talked to another woman. A man sat on a bench reading a newspaper. A teenage boy read a book at the base of a tree, cross-legged, while a girl of about the same age slumped from the branch above, resembling a sloth.   
The skidding of the wheels on mud stopped his mind from further wandering. Pulling himself back from people watching, he noticed they'd neared a larger building. Wider and taller, it was the largest of them all — although still not taller than Arlie's apartment complex.   
Pulling up at the front of the building, Arlie stepped into the mud and mad straight for the building. Tower. Stepping out of the car he was met with a brisk breeze, so he tugged his black hoodie closer around him. Heaving his packed duffle bag over his shoulder as he walked. He was escorted to a room down a hall. As he moved to turn into said hall, he caught a glimpse of a separate hall, lined with doors that seemed to be replicas of the ones on the news. Containment units, Arlie shuddered at the notion.   
In the room, he was sat in a chair and was asked a few questions about his last Takeover. He answered honestly. As much as he hated it. After what seemed like an hour, Arlie was given a map of the grounds with a red line to his house.  
"Now, you do have a roommate. He's a nice man and you'll both, hopefully, get along." The woman smiled at him as Arlie left the room.   
Following the map he walked halfway across the grounds and to a small house; it seemed nice, cozy even. He presumed it wouldn't be locked but decided to knock anyway. Lightly knocking three times he waited for the door to open. He was met with quite a good looking man. Who's smile radiating through the glum day and was almost comforting.   
"Finally! A roomie!" He exclaimed, rushing Arlie inside. Closing the door, the nice man stuck out his hand, "I'm Colin Henderson!"   
Taking a moment to process everything, he cautiously replied, "I'm Arlie MacEwen..."   
Colin's face changed from surprise to interest in the matter of milliseconds. "Oh sweet, you're Scottish!"  
Arlie scratched the back of his neck, he didn't get comments on his accent much anymore. Everyone had just gotten used to it.   
Arlie looked at the man. He had curl (yet short), chocolate hair, stubble, and a black eye.  
Furrowing his brows, Arlie questioned the bruising.   
"Oh, this? It's nothing. Something happened and I got hurt. It was handled by the Superior. Don't worry though, I'm sure you'll be fine." He smiled widely again.  
"What do you man, I'll be fine?" Arlie whispered, wanting to ask if he Colin meant he would heal, or if someone had hurt him and that Arlie would be okay.   
"There's a spare bedroom that you can take, this way man." Brushing off the question — maybe he didn't hear him after all — Colin lead him through the house.  
The main section of the house broke off as he was led down a hallway that, itself, split off into three separate rooms; two were bedrooms and the other a bathroom, in the middle. his room was on the left.  
Standing in the doorway, Alrie took in his room. It was nice and he could get used to it eventually, but since it was under such terrifying circumstances, he wasn't entirely confident. Marching in, he dropped his duffle bag onto the neatly made, single bed. Sweeping his gaze, like a panorama photograph, around the room he memorised his room. The first thing you see when you look through the door is a large window, and a wardrobe pressed to the wall left to the window. There's shelving underneath the window. When you turn to the right you are met with the end of the room, a bed pressed to the left corner and the desk to the right. A bedside table is flush against the bed and a small stack of shelves near the desk.   
His energetic room mate remained surprisingly silent throughout his memorising.   
Arlie turned to face Colin, "Thank you."   
Smiling brighter than before, Colin shrugged modestly, "It's the least I could do. Try'd to make it nice when I got told I was getting a roomie."   
Letting his lips curl up into a small smile, Arlie was glad he got paired with such a nice guy. Colin must have known that he wasn't going to continue the conversation, he gave him a small smile as he turned to leave. Smiling at his back as he walked away, he shook his head and got to unpacking.

——— 

Sleeping in a new place for the first time is always the hardest. His sleep was fitful and he tossed and turned all night. It was normal for him. The only new thing  was the sounds of quiet, broken crying.   
Creeping from his covers, he snuck out of his room and peered through the slit between Colin's door and the frame. The layout was similar to his room. The curtains were cracked just a little, and the moonlight shone onto the crying form of Colin.   
Arlie usually tried to sleep with some sort of sound or music; silent sobbing wasn't a sound he could fall asleep too.  
Unsure if this was his place to intrude, as he'd just met the man, he tiptoed his way back to his room. Making sure not to creak the door as he closed it. Flicking though a quiet playlist on his phone, he put his headphones in and drowned out the sound. His regret lingered. 

———

The next morning Colin helped Arlie find his way around not only the house, but the hamlet as well. Pulling out Arlie's map, he pointed to places and told him who lived there and whether or not to avoid them.   
Arlie never mentioned his unknown encounter the night before.  
Finally the question he'd been dreading came up. He thought he was prepared, but he wasn't.  
"So... why're you here?" Colin scratched the back of his neck. "Not to be rude. It’s just, you seem pretty okay..."   
They were seated on the couch in the living room.   
Arlie laid back and curled further into a ball, pressing himself into the cushions. Wanting to just not exist for the duration of this conversation. "I hurt someone." He made sure to make it sound like he didn't want to continue the conversation.   
"Oh. Uh, you didn't have to answer if you didn't want to... but I would like to know what he's like, in case I run into him..." Arlie squeezed his eyes shut at the notion of his Negative being seen as an actual person.   
"He's horrible. A monster. He plays it off well, but it's the small things that he slips up on. Overlooks it."   
Pain sparked in his palms and he uncurled his fists, looking down at the small, bleeding crescents. Quickly hiding his hands from view, he looked back up at the concerned nface of Colin. Smiling, he played off the trauma and continued to ask about the grounds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry this took so long to upload. I got hit with a few big assignments and they have taken up all of my spare time. I’m completing them in school today and I’ll have more time to write!  
> Thanks for waiting!


	4. Chapter 4

Something was clawing through the inside of his skull. Gnawing on the neurons inside his brain. Pain exploded behind his eyes and he collapsed further onto the cold tiles of the hallway just outside the food court.

So close...  
There was something in his head. It had always been there but it was different to any other time he had felt it. It was growing.  
Festering...  
His room was the only place he could think of heading. Picking himself up as quickly as he could, he began to move. Desperately he tried to make his actions seem normal to any passer-bys. He didn't want this reported to the Superior. Whoever that was.  
Parasite...  
Stumbling through the dirt towards the house. A high pitched ringing, almost a screeching, erupted in his mind, deafening him. Temperature fluctuated in his body.   
Cold...  
As he rounded a corner he turned to face the house. It was so far away. Louder.  
Behind us...  
He could make it. If he could just work his aching muscles and joints. Fear ebbed at the corners of his mind. Louder still.   
They're coming...  
Everything hurt. He couldn't fight it. He had to make it. Louder, louder.  
Faster...   
Pain spread through his body like a virus through sickly cattle. Louder, louder, louder.  
Closer...  
The darkness of fear began to consume panic. The ringing crescendoed.  
Failure...   
He couldn't make it. Silence fell.

I'm here...

When he finally came to it wasn't what he expected. He was restrained in the house. Cuffed to a pole he hadn't noticed was in the bathroom. Colin was curled up in the corner, trembling violently and staring wide-eyed at Arlie. There was a deep cut running from his earlobe to the corner of his eye. Blood gushed from the cut and spattered his clothes. A bloodied knife was clutched tightly in his shaking hands. 

"Colin... it's me... it's over..." Arlie tugged at the restraints. 

"No! No! That's what you said last time. No, I'm not letting you get the upper hand again!" Voice wavering, fear clear to any listening ear. 

"Please... I'm scared... what did I do, who did I hurt..." a bubble formed in Arlie's throat, he swallowed it down.

Colin stood, taken aback by the sudden wash of seemingly genuine emotion. "No, this is just manipulation. I'd be an idiot to believe you. It would be the last decision I'd ever make..."   
Staring at his roommate in silent shock. 

"I can't take you in, I can't. Considering what they do to the others... it's wrong, you'll pull through soon..." he was pacing back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. "But they already know what you did... they're already coming for you..."

Arlie decided to try and relax, let the rising panic at that statement subside. He sat back as comfortably as he could, the pole digging into his spine. "Colin."   
Halting just by the presence of his name being spoken calmly, he slowly turned to face Arlie.   
"Colin, it's me, it's Arlie. C'mon man, check for the signs. It's over, I'm back."

Colin must have calmed down enough to mentally go through the WATCH checklist.   
Nodding slowly, his gaze darted around until it fell on the floor. Releasing a breath that he didn't know he held, Colin slid down the wall and crumbled to the floor. 

"Holy shit, Arlie." Clattering echoed throughout the room as the knife fell to the floor beside him. "You warned me... You warned me..." 

"You need to tell me, who did I hurt..." 

His gaze snapping back to Arlie in a heartbeat but once he had seen the restrained man his eyes glazed over. 

"You warned me, that he was horrible... I didn't believe you... I thought you were just... exaggerating..." Arlie could see the glistening in Colin's eyes. "They know what you did... they're coming for you..."

With that Arlie began to struggle against the restraints again. "Colin, you have to let me go." 

Colin did nothing but curl up further into a ball. "But they already know, they'll catch you..."

"Please Colin, please c'mon man let me out!" 

"They saw you..." Colin began to shake, but it wasn't from being nervous, our from lack of eating. No, it was laughter. "They saw what you did and they're coming for you."

Trying so violently to get free he felt the handcuffs cut into his skin, he felt himself losing control again. He had to calm down, he had to, but they were coming. They were going to find him and do horrible things to him. He had broken the rules. Been treading a tightrope and he had just leapt off. 

They were going to hurt him because he had hurt them. 

In one last hopeless effort of freeing himself, he felt the film between himself and that thing blur. Yanking at the cuffs he snapped a link and broke free. Now looking down on a frightened Colin, he turned to the mirror and saw the whites of his eyes were bordering on black. Blinking fast to try and lessen it he turned and ran from the house. 

He had to hide somewhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, am I bad at updating regularly. So I'm working on other things (the Softverse AU) and they have the majority of my attention so updates on this story will be every now and again.   
> Thank you for sticking around!!

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment saying literally anything, this is my first post on this site so please leave encouragement! It means a lot to me! Thank you!


End file.
